Soweto

Soweto – “Backbone of the Struggle”

Under apartheid, black South Africans were segregated into townships.  Soweto (South Western Townships) is the biggest and probably the most well known township in South Africa.  This is where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu still live, and where so much of the political history we are learning about took place.  

We started at Freedom Square, where a monument stands to mark the place where the Freedom Charter was adopted.  I thought the cross at the top was a Christian cross, but Pumla said it represented the mark people made when they finally had the right to vote and cast their ballot for the very first time. 

 

It wasn’t on our itinerary, but we noticed people setting up a line of tables and merchandise to sell nearby, so we went rogue and wondered over to check it out.

I played peek-a-boo with this baby.

We visited the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum which is dedicated to those students who died on June 16, 1976 in a peaceful march to protest the mandatory change to Afrikaans as the instructional language in their schools.  One of the students was 12-year-old Hector Pieterson.  

Regina Mundi Church, where people met when political meetings were banned.  There are bullet holes in the ceiling.   

Mandela House, where Nelson Mandela lived until his arrest and imprisonment in 1962.  Our guide at the house told us that when he was released 27 years later, people didn’t know what he looked like.

The last picture of Nelson Mandela before he went to prison.

There is a great disparity in housing all over South Africa.  Some homes have no running water or electricity, and some are big brick homes with maids and gardeners, and some are in between.  And they are, many times, only a street or two away from each other.  But ALL were kept as neat and clean as resources would allow.  There is a great sense of community and pride and hope among the residents.  These are examples of Soweto homes.

Stuck in an Elevator

We had just checked in to the hotel in Washington, DC,  and were taking our luggage up to our room on the 7th floor.  The doors to the elevator were very slow to open and close, so I figured it was just pretty old.  It started making some noises that didn't sound right and it stopped.  I thought we were just at our floor and waiting for the doors to open, but they didn't.  Somebody said we were stuck, but I didn't believe it.  But we were.  Stuck on the 6th floor, or maybe somewhere in between the 6th and 7th floors.  FORTUNATELY, it turned out that one of the men on the elevator was a hotel manager.  He had a magic key or something and made a phone call, and the elevator doors opened.  We were on the 6th floor and he had everyone get out.  It's not like we wanted to stay on.  :)  He asked my roommate, Crystal, and me where our room was, grabbed one of our huge suitcases in each hand and started running down the hall.  We had no choice but to follow him.  He led us up the stairs and deposited our suitcases in our room.  I was really impressed that he could lug those heavy bags so fast up those stairs.  The funny thing is, he said that they had had problems with that elevator earlier in the day.  Now, why didn't they shut it down???

Johannesburg and Pretoria

Today it felt like we were actually here.  Most of us were better rested and ready to get started.  We had an overview of the history of South Africa and other presentations before boarding our coach to the U. S. Embassy in Pretoria.  We have a lovely guide, Pumla, and I will try to post a picture of her later.  She shared that the part of Johannesburg we were in was the richest square mile in all of Africa. That's pretty amazing.  

We traveled to Pretoria down new highways that were built to host the World Cup last year.  When you look around, you get the sense that you could be anywhere.  There are familiar brands on lots of the billboards, as well as familiar places like Shell, BP, McDonalds, and KFC. 

South Africa has three capital cities, one for each branch of the government.  Pretoria is the judicial capital.  We went down streets with embassies from all over the world.  When we got to the American Embassy, we were not allowed to take electronic equipment inside during our briefing, so I don’t have any pictures from there.  We went through security and met in the library for briefings on education and environment before going to the Union Building Gardens where we sat on the steps in the sun and had a picnic lunch.

Union Building

We also toured the Apartheid Museum which shows the rise and fall of apartheid with videos, photographs, and artifacts, but the text panels that gave eyewitness stories of the events were very moving, and it was a very emotional experience for all of us.

Dinner was at Gramadoela's Restaurant - even Queen Elizabeth has eaten there.  Check out the menu!

             The Buffet                                                                                 MaryLynne, Pam, and me.





Touchdown

Monday started early with breakfast on the roof of Toyota’s DC Offices.  The view was great!

After breakfasat, we  went into the largest conference room I've ever seen.  We got an overview on Toyota's environmental initiati, which are very impressive, and I will maybe able to share more about that later on.  Then we were briefed on South Africa by Johnny Moloto, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of South Africa

We were on our own for lunch, and found a restaurant close by called Chop't.  It was an awesome salad restaurant where you could choose one of their signature salads or design your own, and they chopped it up in front of you.  The guys wielding the chopping blades were ridiculously fast, and I'm not sure what those blades are called, but they are curved and held with two hands.  The salad was great.   If there's a restaurant like this in the St. Louis area, somebody please let me know.

After lunch we left for the airport for our flight to Johannesburg.  Boarding was a long process and there were several delays, so we took off 2 ½ hours late.  The plane was huge and very full.  We talked and people-watched and ate and slept if we could, and after about 7 or 8 hours, I can't remember exactly, we had a pitstop.

My first sight of Africa:  Dakar, Senegal where we stopped to refuel.

After a long 17 ½ hours from takeoff in DC, we finally arrived!  We went through Customs, and I got my first stamp in my passport.  It was a much easier process than I had envisioned.  We all had to get money changed to South African currency..  

South African rand.  $1.00 = 6.6 rand



After exchanging our money, we took a bus to our hotel where we had an amazing buffet dinner.  It was the first time I ever saw tripe on a buffet table.  It may have been the first time I ever saw tripe.  And no, I didn't eat any.  :)

 



The Journey Begins

Sunday was a day full of travel to Washington, DC and meeting the 23 other TITP participants and representatives from Toyota and the Institute of International Education.  Everyone has been wonderful.  Many of the other participants have traveled all over the world and have lots of good advice to offer novices like me.  In the evening, we attended a welcome reception at the United States Botanic Garden, a short walk from our hotel.  In order to use the Garden for functions, the function has to be related to education and be sponsored by a member of Congress.  Our sponsor was Representative Donald M. Payne from New Jersey.  At the reception we got to meet Representative Payne and some of the people who selected us for this journey.  (Today I also got stuck briefly in the hotel elevator.)

Amy, Conrad, and I at the reception.



Nighttime walk back to the hotel past the Capitol.

The Day I Got My Letter

I sent this picture to my family to announce my selection for the first ever Toyota International Teacher Program to South Africa.  I was SO excited!  That was almost four months ago.

Now I'm all packed, and tomorrow I begin my journey. First stop:  Washington, DC.